Growing up, we were all told fairytales in which the characters lived happily ever after.
The tales made it easy to believe that the notion of ‘perfect’ did exist. And as adults, the desire to strive for perfection continued. The perfect home. The perfect holiday. The perfect career. The perfect person…
In a refreshing change of narrative, Liz and Mark have their own tale to tell. And there’s not one mention of ‘perfect’ or ‘happily ever after.’
We Wabi is driven with a clear purpose: to create spaces that embrace the naturally imperfect. Crafted out of a love for design, it is also a reflection of Liz and Mark’s approach to life, and is their most personal venture to date.
Having already established a number of successful businesses within Western Australian, including little h cafe, Little Bay and Meelup Farmhouse, the collective energy and eye for detail between the duo team of Mark, the kiwi carpenter, and Liz the multi-business owner, is undeniable.
With a background in weddings and events, Liz developed a passion for making something beautiful out of the ordinary early on in life, having learnt a thing or two from her mum who had a knack for finding beautiful antiques and charming traditional pieces of furniture.
Mark, on the other hand, with a background in carpentry and building, grew up in New Zealand learning from his dad who loved the ‘nitty gritty of mechanics’. This gave him the ability to understand how a project would come together, both structurally and aesthetically.
However, behind their success, were years of hard work which started a decade ago when they purchased their first home. This renovation project saw a two bedroom 1970’s brick house be transformed into a four bedroom, three bathroom home with a pared back yet luxurious style throughout and a thoughtfully planned outdoor oasis featuring a pool. The completion of this coincided with their first cafe, little h, opening and the overwhelming feedback from locals was encouragement to plan other projects.
The next project was the opening of Little Bay cafe in 2018. What was a dilapidated shell, was converted into an iconic destination within the space of 30 days, turning it into a space brimming with desirable interiors and a beautiful offering.
With the spark now well and truly lit for tackling big projects with clarity and confidence, October 2019 saw extensive renovations of a property in the south west. By January 2020, word was out… Meelup Farmhouse was the place to go in the south west for beautiful food highlighting some of the best produce in the region, and unsurprisingly became one of the most adored interior and alfresco spaces in the region.
It would be easy to stop there. But that’s not Liz and Mark’s way.
Having navigated the logistics, hurdles and endless decisions to emerge on the other side of each project knowing it’s a success, they decided to share their knowledge and love for design.
During the time of their young daughter’s diagnosis of Cerebal Palsy, Liz and Mark were confronted by the news that no parent plans for; that their daughter wouldn’t have a textbook development in reaching each milestone, but rather, she would carve out her own, unique journey in growing up. Accepting this, Liz and Mark realised the purpose for their next project, We Wabi. It would serve as a true reflection of their values and approach in life. To accept and embrace the naturally imperfect; to be gentle with the present and intentional with the future; and to create authentic spaces where one can be their true self, whether surrounded by friends or family.
A space to exhale and simply be.
